Why Startups Need a Woman’s Touch [#Infographic]

Anuli is a writer and new-media enthusiast who dreams about becoming the sixth Spice Girl. Until then follow her on Google+ or Twitter: @akaanuli.

It is no secret that the startup environment has traditionally been a boys’ club. Although women can bring to the table valuable ideas and leadership skills, they aren’t offered seats at the executive level as often as their male counterparts.

In her TED Talk about women entrepreneurship, journalist Gayle Tzemach Lemmon said, “Women can’t be both half the population and a special interest group.” The startup environment is a prime example of this problem.

According to OnlineBusinessDegree.org, women in Silicon Valley earn more than 50 percent of all bachelor’s and master’s degrees plus nearly half of all doctorate-level degrees. However, women start only 3 percent of Silicon Valley’s technology companies.

One of those 3 percent is SlideShare. Rashmi Sinha co-founded the company in 2006; LinkedIn acquired it in 2012 for $119 million.